Lyn Hiner underwent two surgeries for skin grafts. It will be weeks and months before she fully recovers. Still, she said she'll go back to the beach. This time though she might take something to put her beach collections into, she said.

The rocks fell from Lyn Hiner's pocket and lit parts of the floor on fire. An oil-like residue also came off the rocks. When it hit the floor, it also spread mini fires on the kitchen floor. The floor has been removed and parts were submitted for study.

The smoking and sparking rocks were taken to the hospital with Lyn Hiner. They are now being studied by a state lab. Orange County Public Health Department officials said they found phosphate on the rocks. More tests are being done. Results might be back in two weeks.

Lyn Hiner said the reality of her injuries only became clear to her when fire fighters said they would transport her to the Grossman Burn Center at Western Medical Center in Santa Ana. "I couldn't feel the burns on my leg because the burn went so deep that it burned off the ends of the nerves in my leg," she said, describing what doctors told her had happened.

The couple's strong faith in God has carried them through the ordeal, they say. They first prayed in the ambulance and then in the hospital. "God has been such a blessing," Lyn Hiner said. "We watched his hand with family and friends. that has been a huge gift for us."

Rob Hiner said the concern for his wife and his pumping adrenaline kept him from noticing the second-degree burns on his hand. He was also treated by paramedics and at the hospital for his injuries.

Rob and Lyn Hiner credit sheriff's Deputy Jeremiah Prescott with quick and efficient action. The deputy got to the home within minutes of Rob Hiner's 911 call. Prescott then went into the home to get Lyn's identification. He also got cell phone chargers so the couple would be able to call friends and family from the hospital once their batteries ran low.

Rob Hiner, 46, said he is hopeful his family can get back to their normal lives as soon as possible. Their house has been torn up, the floor in their kitchen is removed and the walls there have been scrubbed down. The house isn't dangerous, Rob Hiner said, but all the appliances have been pulled out of their kitchen to remove the burned floor.

Lyn Hiner sits with her husband Rob at the Grossman Burn Center at Western Medical Center Santa Ana. The incident happened on Saturday when the family went to Trestles Beach to collect beach rocks, shells and other artifacts. The rocks didn't appear strange, Lyn Hiner said. Many appeared quartz-like and white. But when they began burning in her pocket, an oily-like residue seemed to drop from them. When it fell to the floor, it started mini fires, Lyn and Rob Hiner said.

Realizing that her children might have been the one's burned by rocks they had picked up on a family beach outing, Lyn Hiner wipes a tear as she lies in a hospital bed at the Grossman Burn Center at Western Medical Center Santa Ana Friday. Hiner said she is thankful that though the freakish accident was tragic and left her with two surgeries and months of rehabilitation, still everyone was there to help. The family is thankful to the first responders, the hospital staff, their friends and family and God for the way things worked out, Lyn Hiner said.

Lyn Hiner's shorts ignited more than three hours after she was at San Onofre State Beach. Hiner suffered third degree burns on her right leg and has required two surgeries. She said she is thankful for all the support she and her family has received.

SANTA ANA – At first, Lyn Hiner thought it was a bug bite when she felt a sudden sting on her right thigh.

She gave her thigh a swat and the next thing she knew flames shot from her shorts where she stood in her San Clemente kitchen, eating an orange and attempting to plan the evening birthday date with her husband, Rob.

In seconds Lyn Hiner dropped to the ground and rolled but the flames would not extinguish. An acrid smell, like firecrackers, filled the home and breathing was difficult.

Frantically the couple tried to bat the flames out. Then Rob yelled for Lyn to open her pants and he pulled as hard as he could to get them off.

Rocks fell from her pockets — the ones Lyn and her two daughters, who are nine and 11, collected at Trestles at San Onofre State Beach several hours earlier.

An oily-like residue dripped to the hardwood floor as well, starting fires in the kitchen. Lyn ran to the sink, her right hand scorched, searing with pain.

As smoke filled the home, the Hiner’s youngest daughter, who had been reading in the front room, ran out the front door. The family’s border collie-mix bolted from the front door and across the street to Bonita Canyon Park. Their older daughter chased after the dog.

With screams coming from the home, next-door neighbor, Jason Young, Chief of OC Lifeguards, jumped the railing between their homes and rushed in to help.

Rob called 911 and Orange County Sheriff’s Deputy Jeremiah Prescott was at the home on Avenida Estrella within minutes. Orange County Fire Authority firefighters and paramedics rushed to the scene. Within minutes, Lyn and Rob were in the ambulance and the still sparking rocks were in a coffee cup in a corner of the ambulance as they rushed to Western Medical Center in Santa Ana. The couple prayed together asking God for guidance.

Since the incident — which occurred Saturday — Lyn has been treated for second and third degree burns. She’s undergone two surgeries for skin grafts on her right leg, right hand and the inside of her left thigh. She’s endured pain and emotional trauma and will require weeks and months of physical therapy.

The couple’s home has been inspected by Hazmat teams from Orange County Public Health. The kitchen floor has been ripped out and the walls and nearby bathroom have been sanitized. The home is uninhabitable until construction can be done to restore the kitchen and all the appliances.

Meanwhile officials from the U.S. Department of the Navy and from Camp Pendleton say they don’t believe the substance stems from any military training exercises. The San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station is believed to not play a role in the source of the burning rocks, experts said on Thursday.

Despite the freakish accident, The Hiner’s say their faith in God and the deeds of so many, including the first responders from the Orange County sheriff Department and the Orange County Fire Authority, have helped them through the ordeal.

“We know bad things happen to many people,” Lyn Hiner said. “I’m thankful God carried us through this. That Jason, the deputy, the firefighters and the doctors, the hospital staff, have all been with us. I know there are patients here that are going through a lot more than I am. I’m grateful it wasn’t the girls and that it didn’t happen on the freeway on our drive home.”

Lyn Hiner said the Saturday at the beach is something the family does often. They had gone to the tide pools to look for interesting rocks, shells and other beach artifacts. It’s an activity Lyn and her family has done for many years. As an artist, Lyn Hiner said she has always been drawn to unique-looking nature.

The rocks her daughters collected at the beach that day appeared smooth, slightly white and granite-like but nothing odd. She carried them for her daughters because they were in swimsuits. Then, for about three hours the family spent times with friends at a nearby house and their pool.

They drove home with plans to call the babysitter and go out for Rob’s birthday which had been the Monday before.

“That’s how quick it went from ‘let’s get a sitter, to me sitting on the front porch with my hand and leg torched,” Lyn Hiner said.

Erika Ritchie reports on South Orange County coastal communities, military issues and Camp Pendleton for the OC Register. She explores everything from coastal access, environmental issues and marine life to city government, animal welfare and quality of life. She’s won many awards including first place in news (2016) by the Orange County Press Club for her coverage of record numbers of whale entanglements off the California coast. Erika’s covered military change of command and seen military affairs firsthand from the sea aboard a battleship, air from a MV-22 Osprey, and land including Pendleton’s International war games and San Clemente Island’s ordnance ranges. Journalism allows Erika’s penchant for telling human stories of conflict, struggle and joy. Her monthly Everyday Hero feature does just that, highlighting achievements of some of Orange County’s most dedicated volunteers and non-profit leaders. Since joining the Register in 2001, she’s at times covered every city in South Orange County delving into development, housing, transportation, county government and social issues. She’s often written about Saddleback Church and Pastor Rick Warren’s emerging national and global roles. Erika’s passionate about animals and outdoor adventure. She runs, stand-up paddles and skis - both alpine and x-country. She frequents Mammoth Lakes and Mountain for hiking, biking & skiing and for her dogs to frolic in the snow and lakes. She grew up bilingual in German and conversational in French.

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